Pandit Birju Maharaj (1938-2022) was an Indian Kathak dancer, composer, singer, and poet. He was the son of legendary Kathak dancer Jagannath Maharaj, better known as Pandit Acchan Maharaj. Pandit Birju Maharaj was part of the Lucknow “Kalka-Bindadin” Gharana of Kathak dance in India. Pandit Birju Maharaj passed away at the age of 83 on 16 January 2022 at his home in Delhi after suffering from a heart attack.
Wiki/Biography
Pandit Birju Maharaj was born as ‘Dukh Haran,’ which was later changed to ‘Brijmohan Nath Mishra’ (age 83 years; at the time of death) on Friday, 4 February 1938 in Handia, district Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh, India. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. Pandit Birju Maharaj started learning Kathak at the age of 4 from his uncles Pandit Bajinath Prasad (also known as Pandit Lachhu Maharaj), and Pandit Shambhu Maharaj, who both were renowned Kathak dancers. Pandit Birju Maharaj was the disciple of his father, Pandit Acchan Maharaj. In 1955, he completed his graduation at The University of Central Lancashire, England.
Pandit Birju Maharaj’s childhood picture
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
Pandit Birju Maharaj’s father, Jagannath Maharaj, popularly known as Pandit Acchan Maharaj, was the court dancer of the royal family of Raigarh. His father passed away when Pandit Birju Maharaj was just nine years old. Pandit Birju Maharaj’s mother’s name was Mahadai, and she was also known as Amma Ji Maharaj.
Birju Maharaj’s family tree
Father of Pandit Birju Maharaj, Jagannath Maharaj, popularly known as Pandit Acchan Maharaj
Birju Maharaj with his mother, Mahadai (right)
Pandit Birju Maharaj had 3 sisters named Vidyavati, Saraswati, and Chandravati.
Wife & Children
Pandit Birju Maharaj got married to Annapurna Devi in 1956. She passed away on 29 January 2008.
Pandit Birju Maharaj’s wife, Annapurna Devi
The couple was blessed with three daughters, Kavita Maharaj, Anita Maharaj, and Mamta Maharaj, and two sons, Jai Kishan Maharaj, and Deepak Maharaj. Both his sons and daughter Mamta Maharaj are leading Kathak dancers. Kavita was a very talented dancer; however, she didn’t pursue Kathak professionally. Anita is a painter and artiste. Mamta is more into Kathak teaching whereas, Jai Kishan is a choreographer. Deepak is famous for his exceptional solo dance.
Pandit Birju Maharaj’s son, Deepak Maharaj
Pandit Birju Maharaj with his daughter, Mamta Maharaj
Pandit Birju Maharaj (right) with his son, Jai Kishan Maharaj
Birju Maharaj with his daughter Kavita Mishra
Other Relatives
Kathak maestro Kalika Prasad was the paternal grandfather of Pandit Birju Maharaj. He was the court dancer of Mirza Wajid Ali Shah, the last King of Awadh.
The paternal grandfather of Pandit Birju Maharaj, Kalika Prasad
Bindadin Maharaj, the founder of Lucknow Gharana of Kathak dance, was Pandit Birju Maharaj’s grandfather’s brother.
Bindadin Maharaj, the founder of Lucknow Gharana of Kathak dance
Pandit Birju Maharaj’s uncles Pandit Bajinath Prasad, famously known as Pandit Lachhu Maharaj, and Pandit Shambhu Maharaj were both famous Kathak dancers.
Pandit Birju Maharaj (left) with his uncle Pandit Bajinath Prasad, famously known as Pandit Lachhu Maharaj
Pandit Birju Maharaj’s uncle Pandit Shambhu Maharaj
Rammohan Maharaj, son of Shambhu Maharaj is the cousin of Birju Maharaj. He is also a professional Kathak dancer.
Pandit Birju Maharaj’s brother, Rammohan Maharaj
Pandit Krishna Mohan Maharaj (son of Pandit Shambhu Maharaj) is the cousin of Pandit Birju Maharaj. Famous Kathak dancers Tribhuwan Maharaj (son of Jai Kishan Maharaj) Ragini Maharaj (daughter of Deepak Maharaj), Yashaswani Maharaj (second daughter of Deepak Maharaj), and Shinjini Kulkarni (daughter of Anita Maharaj), are the grandchildren of Pandit Birju Maharaj. Music director and composer Swaransh Mishra (son of Kavita Maharaj) is the grandson of Pandit Birju Maharaj.
Pandit Birju Maharaj with his granddaughter Ragini Maharaj
Pandit Birju Maharaj (right) with his grandson Tribhuwan Maharaj
Pandit Birju Maharaj (right) with his granddaughter Shinjini Kulkarni
Pandit Birju Maharaj (right) with granddaughter Yashaswani Maharaj
Religion
Pandit Birju Maharaj followed Hinduism.
Caste
Birju Maharaj belonged to the Hindu-Brahmin caste.
Signature/Autograph
Birju Maharaj’s autograph
Career
Kathak Dancer & Choreographer
At the tender age of seven, Pandit Birju Maharaj started accompanying his father, Pandit Acchan Maharaj, on his shows across India. His first major live performance was at the Manmath Nath Ghosh celebrations in Bengal. Throughout his career, Pandit Birju Maharaj performed at many festivals in India. He performed multiple times at the Art Theatre of Rashtrapati Bhavan for global dignitaries. He also performed at the Old Fort Dance Festival at Purana Qila in 2015.
16 April, 2004: President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam witnessed a Kathak performance by legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj in the Art Theatre of Rashtrapati Bhavan. pic.twitter.com/e7ZuY4tq34
— Rashtrapati Bhavan Archives (@RBArchive) January 17, 2022
Pandit Birju Maharaj has also performed at various places across the globe like Europe, Russia, Japan, UAE, France, Germany, Italy, Burma, and the United States of America. He performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (2014). Pandit Birju Maharaj choreographed many famous actors in Bollywood songs like Madhuri Dixit in Devdas (2002), Kamal Haasan in Vishwaroopam (2012), Deepika Padukone in Bajirao Mastani (2015), and Alia Bhat in Kalank (2019).
Pandit Birju Maharaj with Kamal Haasan (right) during the shoot of ‘Vishwaroopam’
[PIC] Deepika Padukone and Birju Maharaj while shooting Mohe Rang Do Laal for #BajiraoMastani. (Tfs @TeamDeepikaMY) pic.twitter.com/JWSO6keKsn
— Deepika FC Official (@OurLoveyDeepu) March 26, 2016
Singer & Musician
Pandit Birju Maharaj lent his voice to many famous Bollywood songs like ‘Kanha Main Tose Haari’ (Shatranj Ke Khilari-1977), ‘Kahe Chhed Mohe’ (Devdas-2002), ‘Jagaave Saari Raina’ (Dedh Ishqiya-2014), and ‘Mohe Rang Do Laal’ (Bajirao Mastani-2015). Pandit Birju Maharaj was also good at playing the Tabla and Dholak. He collaborated with many renowned musicians like Zakir Hussain, Yogesh Samsi, Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, and Ajoy Chakrabarty. Apart from Tabla and Dholak, Birju Maharaj was fluent in playing nearly all the string instruments like Sitar, Sarod, Violin, and Sarangi.
Zakir Hussain with Pandit Birju Maharaj (right)
Yogesh Samsi with legendary Indian dancer Pandit
Poet
Pandit Birju Maharaj wrote poetry under the pen name ‘Brij Shyam.’ In 2013, Narendra Modi released Pandit Birju Maharaj’s poetry collection ‘Anubhuti.’ The event was held on the occasion of the 75th birthday of the Kathak maestro.
Felicitated renowned Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj as a part of his 75th birth year celebrations. Released his poetry collection ‘Anubhuti’
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 30, 2013
In 2020, Pandit Birju Maharaj published his famous collection of poetry ‘Brij Shyam Kahe.’
Kathak Teacher
After his father’s passing, in 1948, Pandit Birju Maharaj moved to Delhi with his uncles. Pandit Birju Maharaj started teaching Kathak at Sangeet Bharti, Delhi, when he was just 13 years old. His monthly salary was Rs. 150. After working under his uncle Pandit Shambhu Maharaj at Bharatiya Kala Kendra (later Kathak Kendra) in New Delhi, Pandit Birju Maharaj was the head of the academy until his retirement in 1998. After his retirement, Pandit Birju Maharaj founded Kalashram Kathak School in New Delhi in the same year. The school has its second branch in the U.S. Apart from Kathak, the school also provides training in disciplines like vocal and instrumental music, yoga, painting, Sanskrit, dramatics, and stagecraft.
Pandit Birju Maharaj (in white) at Kalashram, U.S.A
Controversy
Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Pandit Birju Maharaj
In 2022, after the passing away of Pandit Birju Maharaj, many Kathak dancers raised their voices in the #MeToo social movement about how they faced sexual harassment from Birju Maharaj. Naina Roychowdhury Green, a Kathak dancer, wrote on Instagram about how Saswati Sen, a famous Kathak dancer suffered from sexual assault and harassment from Pandit Birju Maharaj. The Instagram post went viral and many other Kathak dancers came forward to share their experiences of harassment by Pandit Birju Maharaj. Apart from Instagram, a series of tweets were circulated after his death through which many students of Pandit Birju Maharaj shared their experiences of harassment.
Serial sexual harasser Birju Maharaj, whose unchecked predations drove away so many students from Kathak, dies at 83 without being punished or even formally called out by the Indian classical dance communityhttps://t.co/1WU5ErG9im
— Amba Azaad (@AmbaAzaad) January 17, 2022
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- In 1964, Pandit Birju Maharaj was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to performing arts.
- In 1986, Pandit Birju Maharaj received the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India, for his contribution to performing arts.
- In 1986, the Kathak maestro received the Nrithya Choodamani Award, instituted by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha.
- In 1987, he was honoured with the Kalidas Samman for his contribution to the field of Indian classical dance.
- Pandit Birju Maharaj received the Sangam Kala Award, Bharat Muni Samman, Nritya Choodamani, Andhra Ratna, Nritya Vilas, Adharshila Shikhar Samman, Soviet Land Nehru Award, and Shiromani Samma.
- In 2012, he won the National Film Award for Best Choreography for the song ‘Unnai Kaanadhu Naan’ from the film ‘Vishwaroopam.’
Pandit Birju Maharaj receiving the National Film Award for Best Choreography for ‘Vishwaroopam’ in 2012
- In 2015, he received the Wajid Ali Shah Award (by Lucknow Literary Festival) for his contribution to keeping the art alive.
Pandit Birju Maharaj receiving the Wajid Ali Shah Award
- In 2016, Pandit Birju Maharaj received the Filmfare Award For Best Choreography for the song ‘Mohe Rang Do Laal’ from the film ‘Bajirao Mastaani.’
- In 2018, he received the Banga Bibhushan Award for his contribution to the field of Indian classical dance.
Pandit Birju Maharaj with his Banga Bibhushan Award (2018)
Death
Pandit Birju Maharaj passed away at the age of 83 on 16 January 2022 at his home in Delhi. The Kathak maestro was suffering from a kidney ailment and high diabetes due to which he had been undergoing dialysis treatment for a long time. In the early morning hours of 16 January 2022, Pandit Birju Maharaj was playing ‘antakshari’ with his family and disciples by his side when he complained about the difficulty in breathing. He was then rushed to the hospital but passed away before reaching the hospital.
Favourites
- Food: Kachori, chaat-golgappa, and Biryani
- Actor(s): Jackie Chan and Sylvester Stallone
Facts/Trivia
- Some of the famous kathak dancers who have been the disciples of Pandit Birju Maharaj are Krishna Mohan Mishra, Uma Sharma, Munna Shukla, Pratap Priya Pawar, Saswati Sen, Durga Arya, and Madhuri Dixit. Amongst the Hindi film industry, Madhuri Dixit was his favourite.
Pandit Birju Maharaj with his senior disciple Saswati Sen
- Pandit Birju Maharaj always danced to the narrations of stories based on the mythological stories of Krishna-Radha and Shiva-Parvati. He addressed many contemporary issues through his dancing.
- His ‘ginti ki tihais’ (a percussive phrase where the syllables of dance are replaced by counts) were and are still studied by Kathak students.
- Pandit Birju Maharaj was known to sing Thumri (a vocal genre of Indian classical music) while dancing to it. He also performed Thumris live in various festivals like Saptak Annual Festival (2019), and Anubhav Festival at Vrindaban Gurukul.
- He has choreographed many Kathak pieces like Makhan Chori, Phaag Bahar, Krishnayan, Roopmati Baajbahadur, Darbar-e-Salaami, Shaahi Mehfil, Naad Gunjan, Ghunghru Sangeet, Samachar Darpan, and Anamya.
- The Kathak maestro was also a songwriter and wrote the song ‘Bhari Bhari,’ which was sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Rajeev Mahavir.
- In the late 1970s, 2 Chinese women came to India to learn professional Kathak from Pandit Birju Maharaj. Not knowing the language, he found it difficult to teach them the syllables of Kathak; however, he used words such as ‘pum-pum or ‘chin-chin’ while showing the hand and foot movements to teach the basics of Kathak dancing to them.
- Pandit Birju Maharaj used to practice in a dark room without light while looking at his shadow that was created by the sunlight from behind. The reason behind this, according to him, was that dark rooms improve the quality of sound, whereas the human shadow showcases a clear movement of the human body as compared to that of a mirror reflection.
- He received an Honorary Doctorate from the Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya (now Indira Kala Sangeet University) and Banaras Hindu University.
- His nickname was ‘Birju.’
- Birju Maharaj was the successor of Sri Ishwari Prasadji, who was known as the ‘first Kathak teacher.’
- If Birju Maharaj would not have been a Kathak dancer then he would have been a mechanic.
- He always wanted to sing for All India Radio and in 1967, he finally got a chance to fulfil his wish. He performed his grandfather’s thumris (Indian vocal form) on the radio and it was loved worldwide.
- While living in Delhi, Birju Maharaj used to have serious practice sessions in the morning. After practice, he used to cycle to Indian Coffee House in Connaught Place, and then to Sangeet Bharti in Delhi. The cycle is still at Birju Maharaj’s house on Shahjahan Road in Delhi.
- Ishwari Prasadji, the first kathak dancer was the successor of Birju Maharaj who belonged to a Mishra Brahmin family of Handia, district Allahabad. It is reportedly said that Lord Krishna appeared in Prasadji’s dream and asked him to bring back the culture of Kathak and that’s when he started giving lessons to his sons Adguji, Kharguji and Tularamji. Ishwari Prasadji taught Kathak till the age of 100 and it has been passed on to the further generations.
- In 2022, an exclusive stamp was issued by Phil India Stamps company in memory of Pandit Birju Maharaj. The stamp was titled as ‘India 2022 Kathak Dancer Maestro Pt. Birju Maharaj Music Special Cover.’
Pandit Birju Maharaj’s exclusive stamp released in 2022
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education